Nashville: Opryland’s A Country Christmas a tradition for 35 years

Opryland’s A Country Christmas has been wowing audiences for 35 years and this year’s event is bigger and better than ever with the addition of an indoor/outdoor water attraction.

Indoor/outdoor water park opened two weeks ago. Photo by Opryland.

“We are incredibly proud of the work we do to create special memories for families staying with us through the Christmas season,” said Gaylord Opryland General Manager John Adams. “This year, we are extra excited with the December grand opening of SoundWaves. This first-of-its-kind upscale indoor/outdoor resort water attraction will provide another exciting way families can experience the holidays with us.”

Nashville’s A Country Christmas

The ICE! area is made of 2 + million pounds of ice. Photo by Focus Creative.

This year’s signature holiday ICE! attraction features Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas! Experience scenes from the beloved 1957 Dr. Seuss classic in 2 million pounds of colorful ice sculptures. Kept at nine degrees Fahrenheit, ICE! is hand-carved by 40 master artisans from Harbin, China, and will include scenes of The Grinch, Max, Cindy Lou Who and the rest of the Whos from Who-ville.

The ICE! sculptures at Opryland. Photo by Focus Creative.

There also is a brand new, event, Feast with The Grinch character dining experience or The Grinch’s Wonderful Awful Idea Scavenger Hunt through the resort’s nine acres of indoor gardens.

Opryland A Country Christmas is a 35-year tradition. Photo by Focus Creative.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze Is A Must See!

Inspired Southerner’s partner, Kassady Gibson of Focus Birmingham took in the sights and sounds last weekend and offers a few tips for a fun, family experience. She found that Saturdays are busier than the other days of the week so we suggest that while the kids are out of school you visit during the week.

Visit Who-ville while you’re at Opryland this season photo by Focus Creative.

You’ll also want to purchase the $69 ticket that gives you access to most of the festivities including ice skating and the Gingerbread Corner. Most of the activities for A Country Christmas run through Jan. 1, 2019, but there are exceptions.

Put the Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the top of your list as a must see! The show runs through Dec. 28, so you’ll have to catch it before then.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze is a must see at Opryland. Photo by Gaylord Opryland.

“Cirque Dreams Holidaze, was amazing, said Kassady Gibson, photographer, Focus Creative Birmingham. “It’s a must see while you’re at Opryland.”

You can expect to see a critically acclaimed Broadway performance with Cirque Dreams Holidaze because director Neil Goldberg has assembled the world’s most unique cast of incomparable cirque artists, singers, dancers and theatrical talent—from candy cane contortionists, wheel-rolling engineers, jingle bell bicyclers, spiraling aerialists, intricate puppeteering and more than 300 dazzling costumes for this year’s show.

Part of the festivities this year include the Gingerbread Corner. Photo by Focus Creative.

Gingerbread Corner

Inside the resort’s Holiday Halls, guests will find an 8,000-square-foot indoor ice rink where they can skate and catch a 30-minute ice skating show, hop aboard the Opryland Express kids’ train, stop by the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, or take a whirl on the Santa’s Spinners tea cup ride!

Eat at the Aquarium Restaurant while you’re at Opryland. Photo by Focus Creative.

There’s also a Build-A-Bear Workshop® that lets guests make a cuddly, cute polar bear exclusively designed Gaylord Hotels and that can be personalized with cozy winter clothing and accessories.

Carriage rides and a Holiday River Cruise also are part of the festivities offered during A Country Christmas.

The decorations are stunning at Opryland. Photo by Focus Creative.

Big Night, Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Gala

You can even ring in 2019 at Opryland’s Big Night New Year’s Eve Gala that features eight party areas and more than eight musical acts.

Take a spin in the teacups at Opryland’s A Country Christmas. Photo by Focus Creative.

“Opryland is absolutely stunning this time of year,” said Kassady. “The decor alone is worth a trip to see, but we especially loved that there were so many family-friendly events that we could participate in with our children. I highly recommend taking your whole family to Nashville to experience A Country Christmas.”